Frugal Foodie Fridays: Mini-Mushroom Parsley Patties

With an 8-ounce package of aging buttons on my hands, I needed a mushroom-intensive side-dish idea to serve with our evening meal. First off, it is summer, and I love quick and easy stove-top recipes that are fairly light and won’t require a lot of cooking time. Second, did you see this awesome study on mushrooms in the prevention of breast cancer? Plain old, inexpensive button mushrooms nonetheless. Third, mushrooms and parsley can be found in abundance for a great price this time of year. So Mini-Mushroom Parsley Patties were added to the menu!

My husband really liked these with our evening entree, though I preferred them the next day (served with poached eggs), after the flavors had some time to sink in. When preparing, you will find that this makes more of a batter than a firm burger-like consistency, so they should definitely be made on the stove top, lest you risk dropping the entire batch through the slats of your grill!

If you are planning ahead, prepare the mix for the Mini-Mushroom Parsley Patties without the eggs in advance. Let the flavors sit and meld in your refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Just before shaping into patties and cooking, fold in the eggs. If you are going it egg-free, or using an egg substitute, definitely allow some refrigerator time, as this will also help with the binding.

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon medium to high heat oil, divided (I used peanut, but another refined oil or avocado oil should work well)

⅓ cup minced onion (¼ of a large one)

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 ounces button or cremini mushrooms, finely diced

½ cup nuts or seeds, ground to a coarse powder consistency*

Scant ½ cup flour of choice* (I used oat flour)

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

¼ cup fresh parsley, minced

¾ -1 teaspoon salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

2 medium eggs (or 1 large), lightly beaten

Instructions

In a large fry pan, heat the 1 teaspoon of oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.

Place the onions and garlic in a medium-sized bowl, along with the remaining ingredients. Stir until everything is well combined.

Returning to your fry pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. You want it hot, but not too hot, so be careful. If you can handle the batter, feel free to shape it into nice round 2 to 3 inch patties. If not, simply drop large spoonfuls of the batter onto the fry pan, flattening them to create patties with the back of your spatula.

Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until nicely browned and cooked through.

Serve and enjoy.

Notes

*I ground ¼ cup of sunflower seeds and ¼ up of almonds together in my spice grinder. I do think almonds or cashews will go best for the flavor combination, but seeds help to keep the cost down and the nutrition up!

**I ground just under ½ cup of oats in my spice grinder to acheive a flour, but any flour (including gluten-free) should work